Nakhon Si Thammarat Kingdom ( th, อาณาจักรนครศรีธรรมราช ), Nagara Sri Dharmarashtra or Kingdom of Ligor, was one of the major constituent city states (''
mueang'') of the
Siamese kingdoms of
Sukhothai and later
Ayutthaya and controlled a sizeable part of the
Malay peninsula. Its capital was the eponymous city of
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Nakhon Si Thammarat Municipality ( th, เทศบาลนครนครศรีธรรมราช, ; from Pali ''Nagara Sri Dhammaraja'') is a municipality (''thesaban nakhon'') in Southern Thailand, capital of Nakhon Si Thammarat pro ...
in what is now
Southern Thailand
Southern Thailand, Southern Siam or Tambralinga is a southernmost cultural region of Thailand, separated from Central Thailand region by the Kra Isthmus.
Geography
Southern Thailand is on the Malay Peninsula, with an area of around , bounde ...
.
Establishment and Sukhothai period
Most historians identify the
Tambralinga
Tambralinga ( sa, Tāmbraliṅga) was an Indianised kingdom located on the Malay Peninsula, existing at least from the 10th to 13th century. It was under the influence of Srivijaya for some time, but later became independent from it. The name ha ...
kingdom (existing c. 10th to 13th century) with a precursor of Nakhon Si Thammarat. During the late-1st and early-2nd millennium CE,
Tai peoples expanded in mainland Southeast Asia. By the 13th century, they made Nakhon Si Thammarat one of their ''
mueang'' (city states). The exact circumstances of the Tai taking over the earlier Buddhist and
Indianised kingdom at this location remain unclear.
The
Ramkhamhaeng stele of 1283 (or 1292) lists Nakhon Si Thammarat as the southernmost tributary kingdom of Sukhothai, probably ruled by
Sri Thammasokaraj, a relative of King
Ram Khamhaeng
Ram Khamhaeng ( th, รามคำแหง, ) or Pho Khun Ram Khamhaeng Maharat ( th, พ่อขุนรามคำแหงมหาราช, ), also spelled Ramkhamhaeng, was the third king of the Phra Ruang Dynasty, ruling the Sukhoth ...
. Nakhon Si Thammarat's Buddhist Theravada tradition was a model for the whole Sukhothai kingdom. Exemplary for the Southeast Asian
Mandala model, the dependency towards Sukhothai was only personal, not institutional. Therefore, after Ram Khaemhaeng's death, Nakhon Si Thammarat regained its independence and became the dominant Thai ''mueang'' on the Malay peninsula.
Naksat cities
According to the 16th-century
Southern Thai
Southern Thailand, Southern Siam or Tambralinga is a southernmost cultural region of Thailand, separated from Central Thailand region by the Kra Isthmus.
Geography
Southern Thailand is on the Malay Peninsula, with an area of around , bounded t ...
Chronicles of Nakhon Si Thammarat and the Chronicles of
Phra That Nakhon, Nakhon Si Thammarat was surrounded by a chain of twelve inter-linked cities, or ''
Mueang'', on the
Malay Peninsula, called the Naksat cities ( th, เมือง ๑๒ นักษัตร ). According to these accounts, the cities acted as an
outer shield, surrounding the capital Nakhon Si Thammarat (Ligor), and were connected by land so that help could be sent from one city to another in the event of surprise attacks.
The Thai term ''naksat'' (from
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
''
nakshatra'') refers to the lunar calendar system with a
duodenary cycle of years ''(
Pi Naksat)'', based on the
Chinese zodiac
The Chinese zodiac is a traditional classification scheme based on the lunar calendar that assigns an animal and its reputed attributes to each year in a repeating twelve-year cycle. Originating from China, the zodiac and its variations remain ...
, with each year being associated with a particular animal.
M.C. Chand Chirayu Rajani identified eleven of the twelve cities and their associated zodiac emblems with the following locations on the Malay peninsula:
Narathiwat
Narathiwat ( th, นราธิวาส, ) is a town (thesaban mueang) in southern Thailand and capital of Narathiwat Province. The town is in the Mueang Narathiwat District and was established in 1936. As of 2008, the population was 40,521. ...
(
Rat),
Pattani (
Ox),
Kelantan (
Tiger
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on ...
),
Kedah
Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman and historically as Queda, is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km2, and it consists of the mainland ...
(
Dragon),
Phattalung
Phatthalung (, ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in southern Thailand, capital of Phatthalung Province.
The town covers ''tambon'' Khuhu Sawan, and small parts of ''tambon'' Khao Chiak, Tha Mi Ram, Prang Mu, Lampam, Tamnan, and Khuan Maphrao, al ...
(
Snake
Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...
),
Trang (
Horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...
),
Chumphon
Chumphon ( th, ชุมพร, ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in southern Thailand, capital of the Chumphon Province and Mueang Chumphon District. The city is about 463 kilometers (288 miles) from Bangkok. As of 2005 it had a population o ...
(
Goat
The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...
),
Krabi
Krabi ( th, กระบี่, ) is the main town in the province of Krabi (''thesaban mueang'') on the west coast of southern Thailand at the mouth of the Krabi River where it empties in Phang Nga Bay. As of 2020, the town had a population of ...
(
Monkey),
Tha Chana (
Rooster
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...
),
Phuket (
Dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
),
Kraburi (
Pig). The exact location of
Mueang Pahang, identified with the
Rabbit, is unknown.
However, there is no historic evidence that Nakhon Si Thammarat actually controlled these cities. Other reports from that period rarely describe Ligor as having any special role on the Malay peninsula. The account in the chronicles seems to reflect the Siamese (Thai) claims to
suzerainty over the Malay regions of the south during the mid-
Ayutthaya period.
Ayutthaya period
In the Old Javanese ''
Desawarnana'' document of 1365, the
Majapahit kingdom recognised Nakhon Si Thammarat as belonging to
Siam. The ''Palatine law'' of King
Trailok
Borommatrailokkanat ( th, บรมไตรโลกนาถ, , sa, Brahmatrailokanātha) or Trailok (1431–1488) was the king of the Ayutthaya Kingdom from 1448 to 1488. He was one of many monarchs who gained the epithet ''King of White Elep ...
dated 1468, listed Nakhon Si Thammarat as one of eight "great cities" (''phraya maha nakhon'') belonging to the Ayutthaya kingdom. Nevertheless, it maintained its own dynasty and had vassal states of its own, which it mediated to Ayutthaya (again a typical feature of the Mandala model with its tiered levels of power). Under king
Naresuan
King Naresuan the Great (( th, สมเด็จพระนเรศวรมหาราช, , ) or Sanphet II ( th, สรรเพชญ์ที่ ๒), ( my , နရဲစွမ် (သို့) ဗြနရာဇ်); 1555/1556 – ...
(r. 1590–1605) it became instead a "first class province" (''mueang ek''). However, the post of provincial governor was still quasi-hereditary and usually handed down from father to son within the old Nakhon Si Thammarat dynasty. It was the most important among Ayutthaya's southern provinces and enjoyed a primacy vis-à-vis the other provinces on the Malay Peninsula. Its role in overseas trade (involving Dutch and Portuguese merchants) resulted in the province's substantial wealth and contributed to a high level of confidence and claim of autonomy in relation to the central power.
During the Ayutthayan succession conflict of 1629, Nakhon Si Thammarat rebelled against the new king
Prasat Thong
Prasat ThongThe Royal Institute. List of monarchs Ayutthaya''. ( th, ปราสาททอง, ; c. 1600–1656; 1629–1656) was the first king of the Prasat Thong dynasty, the fourth dynasty of the Siamese Ayutthaya Kingdom.
Accounts vary ...
. The usurper sent the influential Japanese adventurer
Yamada Nagamasa with his mercenary force to quell the rebellion and made him governor and lord of Nakhon Si Thammarat for a short time. Another insurrection of Nakhon Si Thammarat against the capital took place after the
Siamese revolution of 1688
The Siamese revolution of 1688 was a major popular uprising in the Siamese Ayutthaya Kingdom (modern Thailand) which led to the overthrow of the pro-French Siamese king Narai. Phetracha, previously one of Narai's trusted military advisors, too ...
when the local ruler refused to accept the accession of usurper king
Phetracha
Phetracha (alternative spellings: ''Bedraja'', ''P'etraja'', ''Petraja'', ''Petratcha''; also called ''Phra Phetracha''; th, เพทราชา, ; 1632– 5 February 1703) was a king of the Ayutthaya kingdom in Thailand, usurping the throne fr ...
.
Thonburi period
After the
fall of Ayutthaya in 1767, Nakhon Si Thammarat again enjoyed a short period of independence, including its subordinate provinces on the Malay peninsula, but was subdued by
Taksin in 1769 on his mission to
reunite Siam.
Rattanakosin period
Under
Rama I
Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok Maharaj (, 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), personal name Thongduang (), also known as Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom and the first monarch of the reigning Chakri dynasty of Siam (now T ...
, the rank of the Lord of Nakhon Si Thammarat was demoted from a vassal ruler to a mere governor of a first-class province and his control over the Northern Malay sultanates (including
Patani
Patani Darussalam ( Bahasa Malayu Arabic : , also sometimes Patani Raya or Patani Besar, "Greater Patani"; th, ปาตานี) is a historical region in the Malay peninsula. It includes the southern Thai provinces of Pattani, Yala (Jal ...
) was taken away, instead awarding them to the governor of
Songkhla. Nakhon Si Thammarat was supervised by the
Kalahom
Chatusadom or Catustambha ( th, จตุสดมภ์ , literally "Four Pillars" from Sanskrit ''Catur'' "Four" + ''Stambha'' "Pillars") was the Thai system of central executive governance during the Ayutthaya Kingdom, Thonburi Kingdom and Rat ...
(Minister of the Southern provinces). In 1821 and 1831 however, kings
Rama II
Phra Phutthaloetla Naphalai ( th, พระพุทธเลิศหล้านภาลัย, 24 February 1767 – 21 July 1824), personal name Chim ( th, ฉิม), also styled as Rama II, was the second monarch of Siam under the Chakri ...
and
Rama III again tasked the governor of Nakhon Si Thammarat to quell rebellions in the Malay sultanate of
Kedah
Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman and historically as Queda, is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km2, and it consists of the mainland ...
.
Integration into the Siamese central state
With the ''Thesaphiban'' reform of Prince
Damrong Rajanubhab
Prince Tisavarakumarn, the Prince Damrong Rajanubhab ( Thai: ; Full transcription is "Somdet Phrachao Borommawongthoe Phra-ongchao Ditsawarakuman Kromphraya Damrongrachanuphap" (สมเด็จพระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธ� ...
at the end of the 19th century the kingdom was finally fully absorbed into Siam. A new administrative entity named ''
monthon'' (circle) was created, each supervising several provinces.
Monthon Nakhon Si Thammarat, established 1896, covered those areas on the east coast of the peninsula, i.e. the provinces
Songkhla,
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Nakhon Si Thammarat Municipality ( th, เทศบาลนครนครศรีธรรมราช, ; from Pali ''Nagara Sri Dhammaraja'') is a municipality (''thesaban nakhon'') in Southern Thailand, capital of Nakhon Si Thammarat pro ...
and
Phatthalung.
List of rulers of Nakhon Si Thammarat
The following table is a list of rulers of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The english terms "governor" and "province" are translations used by Munro-Hays in his book. However, there is strong evidence that both the rulers themselves and European powers regarded these rulers as kings in their own right. The Siamese term for Nakhon Si Thammarat changes over time. In the Palatine Law of 1458, it is a ''prathetsarat'' (often translated as tributary state) and the ruler entitled a ''chao phraya''. ''Chao phraya'' is a general term for kings. For example, the main river running through Bangkok is the
Chao Phraya River, or River of Kings. During the reign of Naresuan, the title ''prathetsarat'' was abandoned and Nakhon became a first-class "city". Again, the translation "city" is misleading and comes from the Thai ''mueang'', which is also used for the capital of Siam, Ayutthaya. Official titles for cities and rulers in pre-modern Siam is complex. We know Nakhon was closely allied with Siam and that Ayutthaya became involved in succession politics, sometimes appointing outsiders to the position. However, most of the rulers were chosen from among the ruling elite of Nakhon.
Note: This table is under construction
Source: Munro-Hay (2001), pp.437-447 "Chronological Chart"
Further reading
*Stuart Munro-Hay. ''Nakhon Sri Thammarat - The Archaeology, History and Legends of a Southern Thai Town''.
References
{{Reflist
Former countries in Thai history
15th-century disestablishments
States and territories established in the 1st millennium
Indianized kingdoms
History of Nakhon Si Thammarat
Tai history
Srivijaya
Medieval Thailand
Early Modern Thailand
Thonburi Kingdom
13th century in Thailand
13th-century establishments in Thailand